Dundee manager Tony Docherty paid tribute to Joe Shaughnessy after the Dark Blues captain’s late double earned the visitors a deserved 2-0 victory at Livingston.
Shaughnessy struck twice as Dundee finally made their pressure count against 10-man Livingston, who had Cristian Montano sent off for violent conduct following a coming together with Malachi Boateng in the 70th minute.
And Docherty was thrilled by defender Shaughnessy’s contribution in the final third.
He said: “I have never seen Joe score two goals in a game before.
“I’ve worked with him since he was a kid and I’ve not seen that in a reserve game, a youth-team game or anything.
“I’m delighted for him, he’s the epitome of what the team is. He was my first signing and leads by example.
“He does that every day and it’s good to see players like him get their rewards.
“I was also pleased for Trevor Carson, that’s four clean sheets now.
“We have good young players but the bedrock is the experience and they’re so important.”
Only two points separate Dundee in fourth and 11th placed Ross County but Docherty is delighted his top-flight newcomers, who face Rangers in midweek, are heading in the right direction.
He added: “Fourth place? That’s good. Before the game we did say that if we can pick up three points who knows where it’s going to take us.
“I’m surprised by that but we won’t get giddy or get ahead of ourselves. That’s us now played nine games and we’re in a decent position but we have a tough game to come on Wednesday night.”
Shaughnessy broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute when he turned in an effort at the front post from Aaron Donnelly’s long throw before then getting on the end of Owen Beck’s corner three minutes later.
Livingston manager David Martindale said: “The sending off definitely does not make the game any easier, it’s a bad decision by Cristian, it’s a red card all day long and I’ll be speaking to him on Sunday about it. It’s a moment of madness really.
“We’re reduced to 10 men but to concede two set plays it does not matter if you have 10 men on the park, you still have 10 men behind the ball.
“We’ve gone and lost two very poor set plays from second contacts, we lost two set plays last week and I think you can see that we miss big Ayo Obileye.
“Did the 10 men have something to do with it? Probably not. I think we have to take responsibility, I’ve got to take responsibility.”
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Marc Skinner signs Manchester United Women contract extension
Marc Skinner has signed a one-year contract extension as Manchester United Women head coach with the option of a further 12 months.
The 41-year-old guided United to their first major silverware last weekend with victory over Tottenham in the Women's FA Cup final.
United are fifth in the Women's Super League with one game to go - a massive drop on last term's runners-up finish - but Skinner will stay on.
"It's an honour to extend my stay at Manchester United," Skinner, who was appointed in 2021, told United's official website after the news was confirmed on Friday.
"I've always felt at home here, with our excellent players, staff, and fans.
"Being able to secure the team's first major trophy at Wembley was a real career highlight for me and another sign of our continued growth, on and off the field."
United conclude their campaign on Saturday against Chelsea, who lead Manchester City on goal difference entering the final day.
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